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Devoted Spirit maneuvers focus on toughness, endurance, ripostes, and abilities designed to defeat specific alignment. Those who follow the Devoted Spirit discipline seeks to support a cause by defending it, nurturing it, and destroying its enemies. The falchion, greatclub, longsword, and maul are the Devoted Spirit discipline's preferred weapons, though many who follow this school of battle embrace weapons tied to the causes they follow. Intimidate is the key skill for Devoted Spirit.

Boosts

Defensive Rebuke

You sweep your weapon in a wide, deadly arc. When your blows strike home, you send your foe tumbling back on the defensive. He must deal with you first, or leave himself open to your deadly counter.

Defensive rebuke allows you to excel at controlling the battlefield around you. Your enemies must pay heed to the threat you pose. If they ignore you in favor of attacking other targets, you take advantage of their lapses with a punishing counterattack.

Each enemy you strike after you initiate this maneuver becomes vulnerable to your further attacks. If such an opponent attacks anyone other than you in melee for the duration of the maneuver, that attack provokes an attack of opportunity from you (each separate attack a target makes provokes an attack of opportunity, making this boost especially lethal if you have Combat Reflexes). Enemies you strike become aware of the consequences of the maneuver.

Counters

Shield Block

With a heroic burst of effort, you thrust your shield between your defenseless ally and your enemy.

As an immediate action, you can grant an AC bonus to an adjacent ally equal to your shield's AC bonus +4. You apply this bonus in response to a single melee or ranged attack that targets your ally. You can initiate this maneuver after an opponent makes his attack roll, but you must do so before you know whether the attack was a success or a failure.

Shield Counter

As your opponent prepares to make his attack, you bash him with your shield and disrupt his attempt.

As an immediate action, you can attempt a shield bash against an opponent you threaten. This attack is made with a -2 penalty. If your shield attack hits, your target's next attack automatically misses.

You can use this maneuver immediately after an opponent declares an attack, but you must do so before the attack's result has been determined.

Stances

Alignment-Based Stance

Aura of Chaos

A coruscating aura of purple energy surrounds you as chaos runs rampant in the area immediately around you.

While you are in this stance, your attacks have the potential to be utterly devastating. When rolling damage for a melee attack, you gain a special benefit from any damage die that rolls its maximum amount (such as a result of 6 on a d6). When one or more of your damage dice show a maximum possible result, reroll each such die and add its result to the original damage total. You can continue to reroll as long as a die shows its maximum possible result, adding each new number to the damage total until each die has shown less than a maximum result.

Aura of Perfect Order

A perfect, hazy square of golden energy surrounds you as you enter this stance. Order reigns supreme, driving away the whims of chaos.

This stance allows you to treat a potential d20 result as an 11. You must decide to use this ability immediately before rolling the d20. You can use this ability once per round. Using this ability does not take an action. You simply decide to invoke it before rolling a d20 for any reason, such as for an attack, save, or check.

Aura of Tyranny

A sickly gray radiance surrounds you, sapping the strength of your allies and funneling it to you.

While you are in this stance, you drain hit points from your allies. At the end of your turn, you can choose to deal 2 points of damage to each willing ally within 10 feet. For each ally who takes this damage, you heal 1 point of damage.

Normal Stances

Immortal Fortitude

Despite the horrific wounds you suffer, the flash of searing spells, and the crash of a foe's mighty attacks, you stand resolute on the field. So long as the potential for victory exists, you fight on.

Death has little meaning to you in light of the cause you fight for. So long as the mission stands before you uncompleted, or a battle remains in doubt, you fight on. Stories abound of crusaders who, while in the grips of this stance, fought for days on end to hold a mountain pass against orcs, trolls, and other fiends.

So long as you remain in this stance, you cannot be killed or incapacitated by effects or attacks that reduce you to 0 or fewer hit points. If you take such damage, you can make a Fortitude save with a DC equal to your negative hit point total. If you fail this save, you die or fall unconscious (as appropriate). If this save is successful, you are still alive and conscious, with 1 hit point remaining.

This stance provides no protection against effects that slay you without dealing hit point damage, or other effects that petrify, paralyze, and so forth. You can still be slain by a coup de grace if a spell or effect renders you helpless.

After you attempt three saving throws to avoid death or unconsciousness, this stance automatically ends. You can activate it again on your turn as normal. Even the toughest crusader can endure only so much punishment.

Iron Guard's Glare

With a quick snarl and a glare that would stop a charging barbarian in his tracks, you spoil an opponent's attack. Rather than strike his original target, your enemy turns his attention towards you.

While you are in this stance, any opponent that you threaten takes a -4 penalty on attack rolls against your allies. This penalty does not apply to attacks made against you. Enemies you threaten become aware of the consequences of the stance.

Martial Spirit

As you cleave through your foes, each ferocious attack you make lends vigor and strength to you and your allies.

While you are in this stance, you or an ally within 30 feet heals 2 points of damage each time you make a successful melee attack. This healing represents the vigor, drive, and toughness you inspire in others. Your connection to the divine causes such inspiration to have a real, tangible effect on your allies' health.

Each time you hit an opponent in melee, you can choose a different recipient within range to receive this healing.

Thicket of Blades

You maintain a careful guard as you search for any gaps in your opponent's awareness. Even the slightest move provokes a stinging counter from you.

While you are in this stance, any opponent you threaten that takes any sort of movement, including a 5-foot step, provokes an attack of opportunity from you. Your foes provoke this attack before leaving the area you threaten. Your opponents also cannot use the withdraw action to treat the square they started in as no longer threatened by you.

You must make a charge attack as part of this maneuver. If your target is good-aligned, your attack deals an extra 6d6 points of damage. In addition, if your charge attack hits and the target is good-aligned, you become wreathed in unholy energy. You gain damage reduction 10/- until the beginning of your next turn.

Law Bearer

The air around you hums with cosmic energy as the power of pure law surges through you. For a moment, you take on the aspect of a perfect being as you charge forward to smite your foes.

You must make a charge attack as part of this maneuver. If the target is chaotic-aligned, you gain a +8 bonus on your attack (in addition to the charge bonus) and your attack deals an extra 4d6 points of damage. In addition, if your charge attack hits and the target is chaotic-aligned, you become wreathed in axiomatic energy. You gain a +5 bonus on saves and to AC until the beginning of your next turn.

Radiant Charge

You gather the power of your faith and discipline, surrounding yourself in an aura of blinding glory.

You must make a charge attack as part of this maneuver. If the target is evil-aligned, your attack deals an extra 6d6 points of damage. In addition, if your charge attack hits and the target is evil-aligned, you become wreathed in holy energy. You gain damage reduction 10/- until the beginning of your next turn.

//The power of chaos swirls around you, lending you strength to your attacks as you cast your fate to the whims of luck.

You must make a charge attack as part of this maneuver. If the target is lawful-aligned, you gain a +8 bonus on your attack (in addition to the charge bonus) and your attack deals an extra 4d6 points of damage. In addition, if your charge attack hits and the target is lawful-aligned, you become wreathed in anarchic energy. You gain total concealment against all attacks that target you until the beginning of your next turn.

With a howling battle cry, your weapon crackles with energy. As you strike your foe, that energy detonates in a burst that scythes through those who stand against your cause.

When you use this strike, make a single melee attack. If you hit your opponent and his alignment has at least one component different from yours, a blast of divine energy originates from your attack's point of impact. The target of this strike takes an extra 8d6 points of damage and must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 17 + your Cha modifier) or take a -2 penalty on attack rolls for 1 minute.

All of your opponents within a 30-foot-radius burst of the target creature must also succeed on a Fortitude save. Those who fail take 5d6 points of damage and take a -2 penalty on attack rolls for 1 minute. A successful save results in half damage and negates the attack penalty.

Crusader's Strike

Divine energy surrounds your weapon as you strike. This power washes over you as your weapon finds its mark, mending your wounds and giving you the strength to fight on.

As part of initiating this strike, you must make a successful melee attack against an enemy whose alignment has at least one component different from yours. This foe must pose a threat to you or your allies in some direct, immediate way. If your attack hits, you or an ally within 10 feet heals 1d6 points of damage + 1 point per initiator level (maximum +5).

Daunting Strike

You attack your foe with an overwhelming strike, hammering through his shield and armor to cleave into his flesh. This display of raw power causes him to stumble backward, fear in his eyes.

As part of this maneuver, you make a melee attack against an opponent you threaten. If this attack hits, your foe must make a Will save with a DC equal to the damage you deal or become shaken for 1 minute.

Divine Surge, Greater

A torrent of divine energy courses through you. With supreme force of will, you channel the energy into a devastating attack even as it saps your mortal form.

As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack that deals an extra 6d8 points of damage. In addition, before making this melee attack, you can also decide to take a number of points of Constitution damage equal to your initiator level or lower. For each point of Constitution damage you take, you gain a +1 bonus on your attack roll and deal an extra 2d8 points of damage. After using this maneuver, you are considered flat-footed until the beginning of your next turn.

Entangling Blade

You hack into your foe's legs, forcing his movement to slow and his resolution to falter.

As part of this maneuver, you make a melee attack against an opponent. Your attack deals an extra 2d6 points of damage. In addition, if your attack hits, your target's speed is reduced by 20 feet until the end of its next turn, which might prevent it from moving entirely. This penalty applies to all movement modes. A flying creature with a fly speed of 0 feet falls to the ground (and takes falling damage appropriately) if it is subject to this effect while in the air.

Foehammer

You throw yourself behind your attack, lending your blow such great weight and force that you leave injuries that even magical defenses cannot mend.

Your devotion to your cause gives you boundless energy that allows you to smash through supernatural defenses. When you land an attack, you hit with such force that damage reduction offers little resistance against you.

When you use this maneuver, you make a melee attack against a single foe. This attack automatically overcomes the opponent's damage reduction and deals an extra 2d6 points of damage.

Rallying Strike

Your weapon blazes with divine energy as you smite your enemy. The energy discharges in a great pulse, sweeping over your allies and mending their wounds.

As part of initiating this strike, you must make a successful melee attack against an enemy whose alignment has at least one component different from yours. This foe must pose a threat to you or your allies ins ome direct, immediate way. If your attack hits, you and all allies within 30 feet of you heal 3d6 points of damage +1 point per initiator level (maximum +15).

Revitalizing Strike

As you rear back to strike your doe, an aura of divine energy surrounds you. As your attack slams home, this aura dissipates in a flash, knitting your wounds as it discharges.

As part of initiating this strike, you must make a successful melee attack against an enemy creature whose alignment has at least one component different from yours. This foe must pose a threat to you or your allies in some direct, immediate way. If your attack hits, you or an ally within 10 feet of you heals 3d6 points of damage +1 point per initiator level (maximum +10).

Strike of Righteous Vitality

As your enemy reels from your mighty blow, an ally nearby is simultaneously healed and cleansed of its wounds by the power of your faith.

When you make this strike, you or one ally within 10 feet of you gains the benefit of a heal spell cast as a cleric of your character level. To gain the benefit of this maneuver, you must strike an enemy creature whose alignment has at least one component different from yours. This foe must pose a threat to you or your allies in some direct, immediate way.

Vanguard Strike

You batter aside your foes defenses with a vicious, overwhelming attack, leaving him a vulnerable to your allies' blows.

As part of this maneuver, you make a melee attack against an opponent you threaten. if this attack hits, all your allies gain a +4 bonus on ranged and melee attacks against that target until the start of your next turn.